Published: Sunday, August 18, 2013 at 8:00 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, August 16, 2013 at 4:59 p.m.

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But that's just what 6-foot-2, 260-pound defensive lineman Keiwan Jones brings to the Dunnellon Tigers.

"The most important part of him for us is his leadership ability," Dunnellon head coach Frank Beasley said. "He is a vocal leader. He speaks. He makes players around him better."

Oh yeah, and he is pretty good at football too.

"He's a technician, and he plays the game extremely hard. He only knows one speed and that's go," Beasley said, before mentioning a pair of former Dunnellon greats in comparison. "He is an outstanding football player. He is up there with the Lerentee McCrays and Terrence Brooks of the world. The guy can play football."

That is pretty high praise from a coach who has seen several Division I athletes come through the school in his eight years at Dunnellon.

"From a leadership standpoint, I've never had a kid that leads like Keiwan does," he added.

With praise like that and nine D-I offers already in hand, it would be easy for any teenager to get caught up in all the hype. But Jones said he is more focused on helping the Tigers get back to the playoffs.

"Everybody as a senior worries about college," Jones said. "I more so am worried about the team where I am at right now."

But it is hard to ignore the attention that Jones is receiving off the field.

He has received offers from Purdue, FIU, Iowa State, Marshall, Tulane, South Alabama, Old Dominion and Western Michigan. He also has drawn interest from Florida, Florida State and Miami.

Jones would love to stay close to home, but as of right now FIU is the only offer he has from an in-state school.

Jones said he is grateful to receive interest from all the schools pursuing him, but a couple in particular have caught his eye.

"Purdue plays a lot of good teams and it gets a lot of good exposure," he said. "They're kind of underdogs and I like being an underdog."

"Western Michigan was the first one to offer me," he added. "They're recruiting me so hard. I really, really love Western Michigan, but it is really far from home and it gets cold there.

"I really want to stay in Florida."

As for Florida's so-called "Big Three" schools, Jones had this to say: "I really want Florida State to offer me because every time I go there, it is like home.

"I like Miami. They have a really nice campus and surroundings.

"And Florida? Florida is like my second house."

But Jones insists that recruiting takes a backseat to his upcoming senior season with Dunnellon. He is using this season to polish his own game, but perhaps more important to Jones is the way the team performs on Friday nights.

"I expect myself to be a leader," he said. "I don't care about how many tackles or how many sacks.It's about — I have to tackle with my teammates. It is not about what I did. It is about what we did as a unit."

It is that attitude on and off the field that has earned him the respect of his fellow players and the coaching staff at DHS.

"From a vocal standpoint, our kids and coaches respect him because he plays the game hard and plays the game the way its supposed to be played," Beasley said. "He's the first one in the weight room and the last one to leave.

"He does things the right way and that's why he is going to be successful wherever he goes."

Jones seems impressed with the younger guys around him.

"I see young guys stepping up and young guys following after me and other senior leaders," Jones said. "They're doing amazing things and it blows my mind how good some of these young kids can be when they push themselves."

With impressive skills on the field, an infectious attitude and leadership qualities, it is no wonder so many schools are after Jones.

Beasley sees coaching in Jones' future once his playing days are over.

"I'm telling you, if he chooses to do this, which I hope he does, he will be a great coach one day," Beasley said. "He just gets it. He knows when he needs to put his arm around some guys and he also knows when he needs to put his hands on them to get them moving a little faster.

"The big key to the leadership part is making people around you better," Beasley added, "and he does that."

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